What is DICA's role in employment compliance in Myanmar?
The Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA) is the corporate-registration regulator under the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations. DICA does not directly enforce employment law but maintains the company particulars (directors, address, share capital) that employers must keep current. Updates after restructuring are time-bound; annual returns + audited accounts are mandatory under the Companies Law.
What Myanmar requires: DICA's role for employers
The deadline structure is annual — typically the DICA annual return + audited accounts. DICA (Directorate of Investment and Company Administration) maintains the corporate registry through the MyCO online portal. It does not directly enforce employment law, but employers must keep their DICA particulars current because IRD, MoLES, and SSB rely on them.
Filing | Deadline | Form | Authority
| Filing | Deadline | Form | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company registration | On incorporation | Application via MyCO | DICA |
| Annual return + audited accounts | Annually per Companies Law | Annual return form | DICA |
| Change of directors | Within 28 days | Form for change of directors | DICA |
| Change of registered address | Within 28 days | Form for change of address | DICA |
| Change of share capital | Within prescribed period | Form for capital change | DICA |
| Restructuring (merger / demerger) | Per scheme | Scheme + filings | DICA + court (for some schemes) |
Process — how DICA filings flow
- Maintain a company secretarial calendar with DICA deadlines.
- Update DICA particulars on every restructuring event (directors, address, capital).
- File annual return + audited accounts via the MyCO portal.
- Reconcile DICA particulars with IRD TIN and SSB employer records.
- For MIC-endorsed FICs, coordinate with the Myanmar Investment Commission.
Records and retention
| Record type | Retention duration | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| DICA registration + annual returns | Life of company + 7 years | Companies Law |
| Director / address / capital change forms | Life of company + 7 years | Companies Law |
| Audited accounts | 7 years | Companies Law / Income Tax Law |
Employer takeaway
DICA is the corporate registry, not a labour-law enforcer. But employers must keep DICA particulars current — directors, address, capital — because IRD, MoLES, and SSB rely on them. File the DICA annual return + audited accounts annually and update particulars within the prescribed timeline (typically 28 days). Failure to file invites struck-off risk under the Companies Law. Retain DICA records for the life of the company plus 7 years.
Penalties for non-compliance
- Late annual return — fine + struck-off risk under Companies Law 2017.
- Stale particulars — administrative fine + audit-trail issues with IRD / MoLES / SSB.
- Restructuring without notification — voidability risk in serious cases.
Common DICA mistakes
- Missing the annual return because finance and HR each assume the other will file.
- Letting director changes lag for months — DICA particulars don't match the actual board.
- Forgetting to update DICA after a registered-office move.
- See how to update DICA after restructuring and FIC HR compliance.
- Myanmar Companies Law 2017 — DICA filings
- DICA Notification — annual return and updates
- Myanmar Investment Law (where applicable)
Related questions
Stop calculating PIT manually.
QHRM's payroll engine applies the latest Union Tax Law brackets, basic relief, and dependant allowances automatically.